Station-indicator



, (No Model.)

J. H. MORSE.

STATION INDIUATOR.

Patented Dec. 28,1897.

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JOHN H. MORSE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

STATION INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,173, dated December 28, 1897. A plication filed March 16,1697 Serial No. 627,775. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MORSE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city.

of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Station-Indicator, of which the following is such a full,

clear, and exact description as will enable ing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to station-indicators,

and more especially to that class of indicators in which the names of the stations or streets are placed upon a strip of flexible material carried uponrollers.

The object of 'my invention is to construct a station-indicator of the class above referred to in which the strip of flexible material will move evenly, and also to provide means for retarding the motion of one or the other of the two rollers upon which the strip of flexible material is wound.

My invention consists in the various novel features and details of construction described in the following specification and pointed out in the claims annexed hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a station-indicator made in accordance with my invention, Figure 1 is an end view. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a view of the end opposite to that shown in Fig. 1. 5 is a View showing the feed-regulating roller detached, and Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are views of details.

Like marks of reference refer to similar parts in the several views of the drawings.

10 is the casing, having an opening 11, preferably glazed, through which the names of the streets or stations appear.

12 is one end of the casing 10, and 13 the other end. J ournaled in the ends 12 and 13 are two rollers 14 and 15, upon which is carried a strip 16 of canvas or other flexible material, upon which the names of the streets or stations are placed. Journaledin the ends 12 and 13 is a small roller 17, around which the strip 16 passes. 18 is a shaft which is also journaled in the said ends 12 and 13. On the shaft 18 is a roller, which is formed of two parts 19 and 20. The part 19 is rigidly Fig. 4 is a front view. Fig.

: 'mounted on the shaft 18, while the part 20 is loosely mounted on the said shaft. In the part 19 is formed a recess 21, and on the part 20 a projection 22, which enters said recess. Near the end of each of the parts 19 and 20 of the roller are a number of pegs or pins 23, which enter eyelets 24 in the strip 16.

On the shaft of the roller 15, outside of the casing 10, is rigidly mounted a ratchetwheel 25.

26 is a block in the form of a segment of a circle, which is loosely mounted on the shaft of the roller 15. Carried by the block 26 is a dog 27, which engages with the ratchet-wheel 25. Attached to the block 26 is a sprocketchain 27 which passes around a sprocketwheel 28, that is loosely mounted on the shaft 18. Secured to the sprocket-wheel 28 is a ratchet-wheel 29. Rigidly mounted on the shaft 18 beside the ratchet-wheel 29 is a disk 30,0f the same size as the wheel 29,0r slightlylarger. In the periphery of the disk 30 are a number (preferably three) of notches 31, which receive a projection 32 on the end of a lever 33. The projection 32 also engages with the ratchet-wheel 29. The lever 33 is secured to the end 12 of the casing 10 by a pivot 34. The sprocket-chain 27 flafter passing around the sprocketwheel 28, passes around the pivot 34 and has attached to it a cord 35, which passes through a staple 36 and thence to any convenient point from which it is desired to operate the indicator. On the chain 27 is a pin 37, which raises the lever 33 and thus withdraws the projection 32 from engagement with the disk 30 and ratchetwheel 29 when the block 26 is in its lower position. A projection 38 is secured to the end 12 to insure the operation of the pin 37.

On the shaft of the roller 14, at the side opposite to the above-described mechanism, are a small disk or wheel 40 and a crank-arm 41. On the shaft of the roller 15 is a disk 42, similar to the disk 40. Around each of the disks 40 and 42 passes a band or belt 43, attached to a pin 44. Adjacent to each of the belts 43 is a cam 45. The cams 45 are connected by a bar 47, provided with a handle 48. The cams 45 are so arranged that when one is thrown against the belt to which it is adjacent the other is thrown out of contact with the other belt.

The operation of myindicator is as follows: I rollers to wind said strip thereon, a roller ac- When the cord 35 is pulled to operate the device, the block 26 is swung on its pivot and by means of the dog 27 rotates the ratchetwheel 25 and roller 15, rolling the strip 16 upon the same. During the first part of this motion the lever 33 is held in a raised position by the pin 37. The said lever then falls upon the periphery of the disk 30. As soon as the strip 16 has been moved the required distance to bring the next name into position the projection 32 drops into one of the notches 31 and at the same time locks the ratchet wheel 29. The distances between the eyelets 24 in thestrip 16 often vary, either owing to their having been placed so originally or to the stretching of the material of the strip. This causes the strip to wrinkle or sometimes to become displaced, so that it does not operate the roller. 1 have overcome this difficulty by making the roller of two parts having a slight rotary motion relative to each other, as hereinbefore described.

While the indicator is in operation the upper belt 43 is kept tight by the cam 45 and the lower one loose, as shown in the drawings. This retards the motion of the roller 14, and thus prevents slack in the strip 16. When the end of the strip 16 is reached and it is desired to reset the indicator, the bar 47 is moved by means of the handle 48 so as to loosenthe upper belt 43 and tighten the lower one. The roller 14 is then rotated by means of the crank-arm 41 until the strip is rewound upon it.

In the drawings I have shown an opening only large enough to show the name of one street or station, but it may be made large enough to show two or more names if it is so desired. Many other changes may also be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 1 Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a street or station indicator, a strip of flexible material having the names of the streets or stations thereon, rollers carrying said strip, means for actuating one of said tnated by said strip, said roller consisting of two parts adapted to move relatively to each other, and locking devices controlled by said latter-named roller.

2. In a street or station indicator, a strip of flexible material having the names of the streets or stations thereon, rollers carrying said strip, means for actuating one of said rollers to wind said strip thereon, a suitable shaft, a roller carried by said shaft and actuated by said strip of flexible material, said roller consisting of two parts one of which is rigidly and the other loosely mounted on said shaft, and locking devices controlled by said shaft.

3. In a street or station indicator, a strip of flexible material having the names of the streets or stations thereon, eyelets at each edge of said strip, rollers upon which said strip is carried, means for actuating one of said rollers to Wind said strip thereon, a suitable shaft, a roller carried by said shaft and actuated by said strip, said roller consisting of two parts one of which is rigidly and the other loosely mounted on said shaft, pins or pegs carried by each of said parts and adapted to enter said eyelet-s, and locking devices controlled by the motion of said shaft.

4. In a street or station indicator, a strip of flexible material having the names of the streets or stations thereon, two rollers upon which said strip is carried, means for actuating one of said rollers to successively exhibit said names, means for rewinding the said strip on the other roller, a wheel or disk carried by each of the said rollers, a friction-belt for each of said wheels or disks, a cam acting on each of said belts, and a rod connecting said cams, said rod being so adjusted that when it is moved to tighten one of said belts the other will be loosened.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

JQIIN II. MORSE. [L. s]

Witnesses:

JOHN F. GREEN, W. A. ALEXANDER. 

